1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operation method to be performed in an image formation apparatus which has a function to discriminate a direction of an image.
2. Related Background Art
Contents of an original document are represented by various patterns such as a vertically written pattern, and a horizontally written pattern, and the like. Such the various patterns include an A4-portrait horizontally written document (frequently used for horizontally written Japanese document, English document, etc.), an A4-landscape horizontally written document (frequently used for document including long sentences, document for OHP (over head projector), reduced copy from A3 document, reduced copy from B4document, etc.), an A4-landscape central-margin horizontally written document (frequently used in a case where two A4 documents are continuously reduction copied), an A4-portrait vertically written document, and the like.
Ordinarily, in a case where such the original is read by a scanner or the like as image data, since the contents of the original are managed as one (or simplex) image data, any direction of characters represented in the original is not recognized. In this connection, a document direction discrimination apparatus has been provided to recognize the character direction, discriminate the document direction of an original image according to the recognized direction, and generate data on the basis of the discriminated direction.
An image formation apparatus which has an original direction detection function to read the original image and then determine an original image output direction according to the character direction of the read image by using the document direction discrimination apparatus has been proposed.
In such the conventional image formation apparatus, however, it is necessary to set effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the original direction detection function in a user mode or the like which is different from a copy operation setting mode. For this reason, if a user does not find existence of the original direction detection function or does not understand how to set the original direction detection function, there is some fear that the user can not use such the function even if he wishes to use it.
Further, in such the conventional image formation apparatus, since the character direction is discriminated on the premise that black characters are represented on white background of the original, there has been a problem that white characters represented on black background are erroneously detected.
Therefore, in the case where the white characters are represented on the black background, if the character direction is discriminated after negative-to-positive inversion, the above problem can be eliminated. However, in this case, it is necessary to additionally instruct the negative-to-positive inversion, thereby degrading operationability.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image formation apparatus and its control method which solved the above problem.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image formation apparatus and its control method which can easily perform an original image direction discrimination function at any time.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an image formation apparatus and its control method which can accurately discriminate an original image direction even if white blank characters are represented on black background of an original.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an image formation apparatus and its control method which increased operationability of image formation in which image direction discrimination is performed.